Tear it down! Four derelict Windsor houses slated for demolition

A derelict home at 546 Aylmer Ave. - one of four properties slated for demolition by the city's building department. Photographed in Windsor, Ont. on Aug. 7, 2012. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)

According to the report, inspections were done on the buildings and orders to demolish were issued — with “no positive responses” from the owners.

“Title searches were performed and every attempt has been made to contact the owners and to locate any interested parties,” the report says.

No appeals have been launched, and the deadlines have come and gone.

The report notes that all four addresses have outstanding property taxes — more than $12,000 on the Aylmer Avenue house.

Quotes on demolition costs have been requested and received from contractors, with the lowest quotes combining for a total bill of about $39,000.

None of the four houses are heritage properties, nor are they located in areas under demolition control bylaws.

Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis said he knows there are residents who will be glad to see the four dilapidated houses removed — but he noted that there are even more rundown properties in the city deserving similar treatment.

Valentinis said there are three vacant houses in his ward — specifically in the 500 block of Chatham Street East, about a block from the casino — that are in “just horrible, horrible shape.”

Valentinis said that obtaining demolition orders on these houses has been complicated by the fact that they’re in a designated community improvement area.

According to Valentinis, the building department’s report shows progress — but the city should be moving more quickly to rid Windsor of dangerously derelict properties.

“The sooner, the better,” he said. “They really are an eyesore.”

Below are images of the four vacant properties targeted in the administrative report.

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